Claire is almost 5 months old!! What a big girl, I cannot believe how much I love her and watching her grow is just amazing. It has been awhile since I have done one of these so I thought getting one in before her 5mth bday would be fun.

SleepWe have had a little trouble in the sleep department here and there but overall things are so much better. We had about a 4 week stretch once I went back to work that she was getting up every 1 - 2 hours to nurse, she was not eating very much I think it was mostly for comfort and to spend time together since she had just started day care, those were really hard weeks and I melted down a few times but we got through it. I posted before but we discovered that Claire enjoys sleeping on her belly and that if we put her down that way we can usually get about a 4 hour stretch which has been great. Last night was tough though, she did not want to be put down so for about two hours we nursed, rocked, walked around and then reattempted bed time. Finally Ryan was able to get her to relax and lay down for sleep we got a 3.5 hour stretch and it was great. I'm not sure if she wanted the extra attention because of maybe some teething pain or if she just was not ready for bed but eventually she went down ok. Crib sleeping has been going well, we had a bit of co sleeping going on for awhile but now she is 95% back in her crib unless I just am too tired and she join us in our bed around 4am or something like that. I am glad that we were able to make that transition pretty smoothly because I have heard that it can be a nightmare.

BreastfeedingOh man, breastfeeding your child is a journey and it is so fulfilling but it can also be so hard. Being back at work and pumping has added a new notch on that belt. Thankfully Claire still loves my breast, I was worried because with how many bottles she has to take at day care [4 bottles, 4 ounces each] I thought that she would end up wanting the bottle over the breast because it can have a much faster flow but thankfully we are still going strong, I have a goal of one year and we are almost half way there! Claire tends to nurse about 7 times with me before and after work and then she also has her bottles, it seems like a lot of the time her and I are just nursing but whatever she needs I can do. Breastfeeding in public has been fine, I get a few looks here and there but I think because I am so comfortable with it now that I might not even notice if anyone else even seems to care. I wrote a letter to my breasts the other day because I was so worried that my supply had dropped, thankfully I just had a bad pump session but it really put how important pumping at work has become. The only big issue I am having right now is my rash, it is itchy and dry and red and I hate it! I have it pretty bad on my right side and just a little on my left, I am scared that it might be thrush rearing its ugly head again so once I get home tonight hard core sanitizing begins, so does vinegar baths and all those supplements that were supposed to help us out. While I am at work I might also try some stronger creams that I would not be able to use if Claire was going to eat anytime soon.Speaking of eating! Claire is going to start solids soon! I am about to order a new book and get to cooking for my babe! I am excited and actually pretty nervous about this, so please send me any tips that you might have.

My relationship with RyanYesterday I posted about taking a night off with the hubs and I have to say I am really happy with how things are going. I have read so many blogs, heard so many married couples complain and I have watched all the sitcoms about how a baby ruins your relationship. I am glad that I can count on Ryan to help me in every way he can and that he just steps up to do things without me even needing to ask. I love that we are such a great team and watching him as a father is so much fun. This morning while we were scrambling to get out of the house to day care and work I asked him how we can work together to make mornings easier, and we just realized that this is kind of how it is going to go haha. Some mornings I am going to wake up late [like today] and Ryan is going to have to pick up the slack and vice versa. I am thankful to have a strong partnership.

Healing from her birthI am dropping this section from this because I feel great, the scar is something I barely think about, the stretch marks are still there but I am hoping they will lighten up, my body still isn't the same and I have 20 pounds to lose but overall I feel healed and my c section is just a memory. I am glad that I was able to heal and not have any issues.

Going back to workBeing a working mommy is tough, I am tired. I never want to be the person who says, "you don't know tired until you have had a child" that is not fair and its not a competition. It sucks to be tired, period. We are dealing with it and that is really all there is to say about that. Work has been good, our third salon is open and things are moving along well. I miss Claire all the time and sometimes wonder if this is the right choice but then I immediately remember all the reasons that it is and just kiss her a little bit harderonce I get home.

There is so much more to being a mommy then those sub categories I listed, I would not even know where to begin. But having a daughter has made me a different person. She is a joy to watch, she is hitting milestones and growing like a weed. I love my cheeky smiley girl and being a mommy to her is everything I could have ever hoped for and more.